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FIR against Ajit Pawar for threatening villagers

Mumbai, Apr 20 IBNS | 11 months ago

A First Information Report (FIR) has been registered against Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Ajit Pawar for allegedly threatening Baramati villagers to vote for his cousin and party chief Sharad Pawar's daughter Supriya Sule.

The FIR has been registered under Sections 171 C (undue influence at elections) and 171F (punishment for undue influence or personation at an election) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), media reports said.

The FIR was lodged after an AAP candidate from Baramati, Suresh Khopde submitted an audio recording of Pawar's alleged threat speech at a rally.

However, according to reports, the Pune Rural Police has not yet found any evidence of Pawar holding a rally and threatening the villagers.

"Police said that no villager has come forward to confirm that they were threatened by Ajit Pawar. A report of preliminary investigation stating the same has been submitted to the district collector," CNN-IBN reported.

Earlier, Khopde has complained to the Election Commission.

A blurry video recorded on a mobile phone showed Ajit Pawar threatening voters by saying: "We can clearly see on the voting machine which village has voted for whom. I hope you remember that it was I who bought water to the village."

"If you don't vote for us I will stop water supply to the village," Ajit Pawar was recorded as saying.

Pertinently, there are thousands of sugarcane farmers at Baramati in Pune, who have to repeatedly face drought.

Baramati voted on Thursday in the fifth phase of the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.